


All Promises Lead to Heartbreak

by Novel-Failure (NoveltyToy)



Category: The Amazing Spider-Man (Movies - Webb)
Genre: Break Up, F/M, Gwen Stacy Lives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-03-05
Packaged: 2018-09-28 11:13:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10097258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoveltyToy/pseuds/Novel-Failure
Summary: Gwen breaks up with Peter. She's been accepted into Oxford and she's leaving. Peter doesn't want her to go, but he can't stop her. She is determined to move on with her life and wants him to do the same.This will remain a one-shot unless I receive feedback to continue. My initial intention was to use this chapter to set up for Peter being reunited with Harry Osborn and the boys developing a very codependent relationship with one another. Harry slowly falling in love with Peter while desperately searching for a cure. Then Gwen would eventually return to New York (visiting during a holiday or between semesters) and things would get complicated when Harry catches Peter and Gwen together in a very compromising position (whether it was as bad as it appeared to be would remain to be seen, but it would definitely prompt a reaction with life altering consequences).





	

Peter's heart was broken. Gwen Stacy was leaving. 

She'd been accepted into Oxford. He hadn't even known that she'd applied until after it was almost a sure thing. He'd stupidly thought that they'd both be attending Empire State University together in the fall. He thought he'd have more time to fix things between them. He'd sincerely believed that they could keep up this long game of on-again off-again dating forever or at least for as long as it would take for his guilt to fade over the broken promise he'd made to Captain Stacy. 

_"Please, don't leave me. I need you."_ He would've gotten down on his knees and begged her to stay, but he couldn't swallow the lump in his throat. He kept seeing the ghost of George Stacy staring down at him in disapproval, warning him about all the ways that this could end in a tragic disaster if he didn't walk away. Peter, _no,_ **Spider-Man** needed to do what was right. He had a _responsibility_ to do everything in his power to keep people safe. And maybe, in this situation, that just meant letting go.

It would've been selfish of him to ask anymore of Gwen than she was willing to give. And he couldn't ask her to sacrifice the life she'd always wanted, because _he knew_ this was about more than just where she got her higher education.

If she had chosen to stay behind, to stay _for him,_ then the sacrifices she'd have to make wouldn't end there. His dual life would keep endangering her. Gwen wasn't the kind of gal who would be content to stay at home and wait by the telephone while her man was galavanting around fighting supervillains.

If she stayed in New York, she would keep rushing into dangerous situations intent on having his back and saving the world. But it wasn't worth risking her. Someone as smart as Gwendolyn Stacy should be putting her mind to better use inventing new clean energy technology, discovering the cure for cancer or - or who even knew what else her genius could accomplish with a proper education and the right tools at her disposal.

"This is for the best," he told himself. "Face it, Petey, high school sweethearts almost never make it. Your days as a couple were numbered from the beginning." And at least this way, she would be safe. She could go live her dreams. Even if it felt like he was left behind, trapped in a nightmare, it would've been worth walking through hell to keep her out of harm's way.

Of course, none of that stopped Peter from following Gwen to the airport. 

"Hey," Peter reached out and touched Gwen's shoulder as she was approaching the gate. Despite all the reasons that he knew he should have stayed away, he just couldn't. Maybe for a moment it seemed as if he was about to steal a line - _or an entire scene_ \- from one of those dumb romantic movies where they wait for the last minute to rush through the airport after the love of their life, but this wasn't like that. _Or maybe it was._

"Hey," Gwen's smile was weak and uncertain. She must've been thinking the same thing and that possibility terrified her.

"I just," Peter sputtered uselessly before breaking into a heavy sigh, "I want the best for you. You know that, right?"

_"Peter -"_

"No.  _No,_ _please,"_ he shook his head and waved his hands around anxiously, "let me say this, please."

She closed her mouth and gave a small nod. Neither one of them was able to look the other in the eye. Peter's eyes were fixed on his shoes and Gwen's gaze kept flitting over him - _all of him_ \- taking in his slumped, defeated posture and each of his nervous little tics.

"I'm going to miss you like crazy, Gwen. _But..._ I understand if you need a clean break. Give it a few months at least before we try to get back in touch. And I really hope we can still be friends after all this."

_'We will. We'll always be friends,'_ she wanted to reassure him. But _'I'll always be here for you,'_ would've been a bold faced lie, wouldn't it? Gwen couldn't make any promises about what the future would bring. Her own feelings were already complicated enough. _'I just need to get away. I need to pursue the life I had planned for myself, the life I wanted before I discovered you were Spider-Man and my whole world got turned upside down. Most importantly, I need to grow up and make decisions for myself before I allow myself to get tied down to a stubborn boy with a hero complex.'_

So she stood there in silence, her thoughts racing while Peter continued to ramble.

"After we've both had some time to adjust, I hope it'll be alright if I text you or call or maybe even Skype from time to time? It's just that - _you know my secrets,_ and I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to tell anyone else. _I'm sorry,_ I don't mean to lay on a bunch of pressure. I just-"

_'I need you. I need you. I need you, Gwen. Don't go.'_

"I need someone as brilliant as you in my corner."

"Peter," it killed Gwen to say this, but she had to - "listen, okay? I know, once I'm gone - _really gone,_ you'll be able to move on and find someone else." He opened his mouth and very much looked like he was about to object, but she wouldn't let him. _"I know you will._ Give it time, let yourself be open to the possibility, and when that happens, when you find them - I don't want you to hesitate." Gwen swallowed her tears and kept her very best poker face. "When you feel yourself falling for someone else, I don't want you to hold back on my account. I don't want you to wait for me, Peter. When we do get back in touch - and I really hope we do, _eventually._ But not until you're ready.You need to accept that it's really over between us. Okay?"

"O-okay," there were tears spilling from his eyes. He surged forward and embraced her in a big hug. "Okay, but _you have to know_ \- I love you, Gwen Stacy. _I love you,"_ he cried into her hair.

_"I know,"_ she whispered back. "I love you, too," she admitted and immediately regretted it. She didn't want to leave him with any hope that she was coming back. She wanted him to move on, because that's just what's best for both of them. She pulled away from his hug and held him at arm's length to reiterate her point one last time, "But there's more to life than this craziness, Pete. I can't wait for you to pull yourself together and I can't help you. I've tried and I can't. Even if I could, it's not fair if I have to fix you. There's so many things I want to do, and I don't want my whole life to revolve around you. It hurts too much and we both deserve better than that."

He had objections, pleas, and promises - it was written all over his face, although he couldn't quite decide where to begin. Gwen didn't want to hear any of it. She'd heard enough. She'd made her decision. Now it was time for her to go.

She made a point of checking her watch. "I have to go, Peter. I have to." She shrugged and ignored the helpless, hurt look on his face. "I just do. I've gotta go. Goodbye, Peter. Take care of yourself."

And then she was gone.


End file.
